2024 Utah Queer Film Festival Announces Film Lineup and Ticket Sales

Festival program highlights LGBTQIA+ stories from international and local Utah filmmakers; HallowQueen theme promises both light-hearted and profound aspects of being queer.

Utah Film Center announced its film lineup for the 2024 Utah Queer Film Festival, formerly known as Damn These Heels. The program features LGBTQIA+ films from international and local filmmakers, exploring and celebrating diverse stories.

“The 2024 festival theme, HallowQueen, promises a diverse selection of films that explore both the light-hearted and profound aspects of queer life — referencing performance, alter egos, and identity itself,” organizers wrote in a statement. “Audiences can look forward to a captivating mix of genres, featuring both narratives and documentaries. The film programming will highlight stories from BIPOC, senior love, musical journeys, family-friendly films, and works by local filmmakers. For those seeking a spooky element, there will be a late-night block of dystopian films, adding an eerie chill of the season to the festival.”

All films were selected by a committee of queer participants, ensuring authentic representation and perspectives. This year’s festival showcases 12 feature films, 5 short films preceding features, and 15 short films curated into 3 film collections, including a dedicated short film showcase by Utah-based filmmakers. Tickets are now available for purchase.

Utah Queer Film Festival’s film lineup is programmed by a committee comprised of queer community participants who play a crucial role in reviewing, debating, and selecting the festival’s film program. “Our team of 27 programmers have watched hundreds of films and spent countless hours curating the most exceptional international films and local favorites,” said 2024 UQFF Festival Director Cat Palmer. “The lineup features inspiring films that delve into themes of identity, acceptance, and resilience, all within the lively HallowQueen theme, promising a fun and festive atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.”

Tickets are now available for purchase, and in line with the festival’s commitment to inclusivity, a “pay what you can” pricing model is offered. This allows attendees to choose their payment amount based on their financial circumstances.

FEATURE FILMS

A HOUSE IS NOT A DISCO 2024/ USA/ Documentary (Director: Brian J. Smith)

A House Is Not a Disco documents a year-in-the-life in the world’s most iconic “homo-normative” community: Fire Island Pines. Situated fifty miles from New York City, this storied queer beach town finds itself in the midst of a renaissance as a new generation of Millennial homeowners reimagine The Pines for a new, more inclusive era.

Preceded by the short film: ONE STORY AT A TIME: CELESTE LECESNE by Eve Tenuto, Natalia Lyudin

A LONG WAY FROM HEAVEN 2024/ USA/ Documentary (Director & Screenwriter: David Sant)

A Long Way From Heaven tells the story of Brigham Young University’s queer underground, demanding their place in the sunlight. Presented by the Artist Foundry’s Utah Filmmaker Showcase program.

ALL SHALL BE WELL 2024/ China/ Drama (Director: Ray Yeung)

Angie and Pat are a well-off lesbian couple in their mid-60s, until Pat unexpectedly dies, and Angie embarks on a later-life emancipation journey. After 30 years, Angie has no legal right to remain in the flat she shared with Pat and is at the mercy of the dwindling goodwill of her dead partner’s family.

Teddy Award for Best Feature Film at 2024 Berlin International Film Festival Preceded by the short film: MAKING UP by Ryan Paige

CAMILA COMES OUT TONIGHT 2021/ Argentina/ Drama (Director & Screenwriter: Inés Barrionuevo, Screenwriter: Andrés Aloi)

When forced to move to Buenos Aires and her liberal public school behind, Camila’s fierce but immature temperament is put to the test and a feminist revolution is born.

Jury Award (Premio Maguey) at 2022 Guadalajara International Film Festival; Best Director Award at 2022 International Film Festival of Kerala Prix Libertés Chéries

Preceded by the short film: HELLO STRANGER by Amélie Hardy

CHASING CHASING AMY 2023/ USA/ Documentary (Sav Rogers)

Twelve-year-old Sav Rodgers watched the film Chasing Amy, and his life was forever changed. Developing a kinship — and maybe a slight obsession — with it as he grew into his queerness, he decides to fund and direct a documentary that examines its role in LGBTQ+ film culture.

Best Documentary Award at 2023 FilmOut San Diego; Grand Jury Prize Feature at 2023 Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival; Jury Award Winner at 2023 Tampa Bay International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival; Best Documentary Feature at 2023 St. Louis International Film Festival; Best Documentary at 2024 Omaha Film Festival

CHUCK CHUCK BABY 2023/ United Kingdom/ Drama (Director: Janis Pugh)

Unhappily, Helen lives with her ex-husband, his 20-year-old girlfriend, their new baby - and his dying mother Gwen. Her life is a grind, and like all the other women she toils with at the local chicken factory, is spent in service of the clock.

Preceded by the short film: MOTHER by Meg Shutzer, Brandon Yadegari Moreno

DESIRE LINES 2024/ USA/ Action (Jules Rosskam

Desire Lines is a hybrid feature documentary that blends personal interviews, archival materials, and narrative fiction as a framework for exploring the complicated and often unwritten history of transmasculine sexuality. Testimonials from transgender men both past and present dissect how cultural expectations, political agendas, and gatekeeping practices shape the locus of desire.

INDIGO GIRLS: IT’S ONLY LIFE AFTER ALL 2023/ USA/ Documentary (Director: Alexandria Bombach)

Known for stirring harmonies and socially conscious lyrics, iconic folk rock duo Indigo Girls are the subject of this intimate and insightful documentary, which tracks their decades-long career. Sundance award-winning director, Alexandria Bombach, brings us into a contemporary conversation with Amy and Emily—alongside the band’s home movies and intimate present-day verité.

SUMMER QAMP 2023/ Canada/ Documentary (Director: Jen Markowitz)

Summer Qamp is a documentary following a group of LGBTQ+ youth at an idyllic lakeside camp in Alberta. The campers enjoy the traditional summer camp experience in a safe, affirming environment.

Preceded by the short film: BAY CREEK TENNIS CAMP by Michele Meek

THE ABCS OF BOOK BANNING 2023/ USA/ Documentary (Sheila Nevins)

The ABCs of Book Banning reveals the voices of the impacted parties of books banned from school districts, inspiring hope for the future through the profound insights of inquisitive youthful minds.

THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN 2023/ Greece/ Drama (Director & Screenwriter: Zacharias Mavroeidis, Screenwriter: Fondas Chalatsis)

While spending a steamy day together at a nude beach in Athens, best friends

Demos and Nikitas start brainstorming ideas for a screenplay based on the colorful events of a previous summer.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ALLEE WILLIS 2024/ USA/ Documentary (Director: Alexis Manya Spraic)

Songwriter/artist Allee Willis, best known for writing the “Friends” theme song, the Earth Wind & Fire mega-hit “September” and “The Color Purple” musical, began filming her life as a kid in 1950s Detroit and never stopped.

SHORT FILM COLLECTIONS

HALLOWQUEEN SHORT FILM SHOWCASE

AMPHIBIAN 2023/ China/ Action (Director & Screenwriter: Jie Zhang, Screenwriter: Jin Yeahzy)

Being amphibious is a forced, reluctant choice, This film aims to make people see- see a few brave souls becoming themselves.

BEACH LOGS KILL 2024/ USA/ Drama (Director: Haley Z. Boston)

A nightmarish queer awakening story set at a high school football game.

FUTURE FLOWERS 2022/ China/ Drama (Director & Screenwriter: Hao Zhou)

A lesbian and a gay man in a sham marriage ambivalently follow a propagandistic program that nudges them toward a single goal: procreation.

PIECHT 2023/ Germany/ Drama (Director & Screenwriter: Luka Lara Steffen) While Johanna’s mother dreams of an alternative ecological life, a real nightmare begins for Johanna.

SAFETY STATE 2024/ USA/ Drama (Director & Screenwriter: Jeanette Buck, Screenwriter: Rani D. Crowe) In the dystopian near future, a gay and a lesbian couple form an unlikely friendship as they flee the midwest for safety in New England.

WILLA JUSTICE: DRAG QUEEN PRIVATE EYE 2024/ USA/ Drama (Director & Screenwriter: Jonathan Andre Culliton) With Willa Justice (Lady Chilane) hot on the trail of high desert murderer Pink Face (Heather Muriel Nguyen), she must follow her heart, and a mysterious chicken, to find her beloved boyfriend Jamie Bondopolous (Scott Turner Schofield) and solve the case.

BIPOC SHORT FILM SHOWCASE

EMERALD CITY 2024/ USA/ Drama (Director & Screenwriter: Josef Steiff)

Two lone hitchhikers, unknowingly connected by the secrets they carry, cross paths near the US/Mexico border where they develop a tentative friendship that gradually becomes more.

If 2023/ India/ Drama (Director: Tathagata Ghosh, Screenwriter: Buan G.)

An arranged marriage tears a lesbian couple apart, but with a mother’s love, perhaps, another future is possible.

REMEMBER, BROKEN CRAYONS COLOUR TOO (BIPOC Short Film Showcase) 2023/ Switzerland/ Documentary (Directors: Shannet Clemmings, Urša Kastelic)

Shannet, a Black Transgender woman from Jamaica, shares her journey of healing as she wanders the empty streets of a European city.

Special Jury Award for Documentary Short Film at 2024 Flickerfest International Short Film Festival; Documentary Short Jury Award at 2024 SXSW South By Southwest Film Festival; Best Student Documentary Short Winner at 2024 Palm Springs International ShortFest.

UTAH QUEER LOCAL FILMMAKER SHOWCASE

CANYON CHORUS 2023/ USA/ Documentary (Director & Screenwriter: Chris Cresci, Screenwriter: Makenna Wall & Tim Kressin)

Set against the backdrop of Desolation Canyon, UT, Mikah Meyer, a world-record traveler and LGBTQ+ advocate, reflects with three close friends and his mentor, Larry Edwards, on their stories and the power of mentorship within the queer community.

DEAR MONEY: A TRANS PERSPECTIVE 2023/ USA/ Documentary (Director: Fletcher Gibbons)

Three trans siblings share about how money has impacted their lives and their gender-affirming care.

FIRST DATE 2024/ USA/ Drama (Directors: Ashlyn Brooke Anderson, William Cowser, and Parker Ralins, Screenwriter: Ash Anderson)

As Andy navigates the vibrant tapestry of queer, non-monogamous dating, they experience a series of humorous and heartfelt encounters.

GROUNDED 2024/ USA/ Drama (Director: Andrea “Andy” Whipple)

A pre-transitioned trans boy is transformed into a harpy and learns the importance of knowing one’s limits.

TRANS PUNK 2023/ USA/ Documentary (Director: Margo Plumb)

Hailed as the “The Narrative of Being a Societal Menace”, Trans Punk explores the hateful rhetoric and hyperbole surrounding the “transgender issue.”

UTAH DRAG 2024/ USA/ Documentary (Directors: Sally Shaum & Kelton Wells)

Discover three queens showcasing what it means to “show up” in the vibrant world of drag in Utah. More information can be found at utahqueerfilmfestival.org